We’ve moved house!

We did it! Last week we moved to our dream home. It’s been almost a year in the making, with plenty of indecision and disappointments along the way. I’m so happy and relieved to say that we’re finally in.

After weeks and weeks of packing and sorting, moving day arrived. It was hard work, but the whole process was made much easier by using a removals company. We still did most of the packing, but knowing someone else was doing all the heavy lifting was such a relief.

We waved goodbye to the cats for a couple of days, took the boys to school and then closed the front door of our terraced house for the last time. It had been our home for the last seven years,  and what busy years they were! The boys grew from babies to toddlers, and so much life has happened within those four walls. But despite all that, none of us felt particularly sad. All four of us have been wanting a change for a while. As one door shut, another one opened. We’re ready for the next chapter of our lives.

Our new house itself couldn’t be more different to our old home. It’s a brand new, detached house. While it’s built in a traditional style, the inside is very light, bright and modern. All the things we’ve been craving. It’s in a different bit of town, but there’s no need to change schools or anything drastic. It’s nice to explore new streets, but everything we love about Ely is still within easy reach.

Currently, we’ve mainly living in the huge kitchen/dining/living space. There is a separate sitting room too, which I’m planning on setting up as a cosy den for watching TV or reading. Upstairs there are two more floors – including our attic bedroom and bathroom.

We’ve been here a week and it is wonderful living in a modern house. The space flows and we don’t all get on top of each other. There’s more than one toilet! Four, to be precise. And the kitchen is a dream.

I love old houses, but it’s so refreshing to have a completely blank canvas. In our previous two homes (both period terraces) the space was defined by original features like fireplaces and alcoves. I loved these, but it’s very liberating to not have whole layout of a room dictated by these focal points. You might think it’d be characterless, but we’re actually finding it’s the opposite. All the furniture, pictures and books we’ve collected over the years have already lent it lots of warmth and personality. It has started to feel us very quickly. More so than I ever remember happening before with any other house move.

These photos are just a hint of how things look. There are still lots of cardboard boxes everywhere, but I wanted to invite you in for that virtual cup of coffee and a mini-tour. I hope you enjoyed it and I can’t wait to show you more.